W L
THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
THE MOOR HALL RESTAURANT
Has there ever been a more meteoric rise to fame than Moor Hall ? I doubt it .
The site , that is Moor Hall , was only acquired by its current owners in 2015 . Following a major facelift , it is now the home to two outstanding restaurants – the 2 Michelin starred ‘ Moor Hall Restaurant ’ and ‘ The Barn ’, its sister restaurant , which also now possesses its very own Michelin star . As many of you will probably know they are to be found in Aughton . They are on our doorstep .
Having just returned from my first visit to the Moor Hall Restaurant , it would be entirely wrong to suggest that I went there just to have a good look through , or to analyse , the restaurants wine list . Of course , I did do both – but I also wanted to experience , at first hand , what all the fuss was about . I could try to describe the experience in my own words , but why bother when the Michelin Guide has already done it for me :
“ Charming grounds with a lake and a fountain lead up to this beautifully restored 16C country house , where you ’ ll be warmly welcomed by one of the slickest teams around ”.
“ The Scandic-style restaurant is a truly striking space , with its blond wood tables , floor-to-ceiling windows and tempting cheese room – and the smoothness of the well-drilled chefs in the open kitchen is a sight to behold ”.
“ Your meal commences with a tantalising array of snacks – the last served in the kitchen where you can chat with Head Chef Mark Birchall . His refined , highly original dishes feature some terrific English produce , including some lesser-known herbs and plants , and his versatility results in a range of cleverly blended flavours , textures and temperatures ”.
The reality is , it didn ’ t take long to appreciate why Moor Hall Restaurant has 2 Michelin Stars , a Michelin Green Star , 5 AA Rosettes and has recently been named the UK ’ s best restaurant , for the second consecutive time , at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards . But , what about the wine which is , after all , the focus of this month ’ s article ? Back to the Michelin Guide then : “ The wine list will have oenophiles in raptures ”.
So , to the Moor Hall wine list . Some general observations :
• I did not count the number of different wines , on offer , on the wine list . Had I tried to , it would have taken some time . I was , however , informed by the powers that be that there are some 750 different wines on the list . It perhaps goes without saying that they fall into the ‘ fine wine ’ category .
• When one gets to world representation , all the usual suspects are there . The likes of France , Spain , Italy , Germany , Australia , USA , New Zealand , South Africa and South America are all well covered . However , refreshingly , countries like Austria have a magnificent representation too , as do the likes of Slovenia , the Czech Republic , Greece , Switzerland , Hungary and Canada . The list is genuinely not only world class , but worldwide .
• Not only is most of the wine producing world covered by the wine list , but there are many wine producing regions , even within well-known wine producing countries , that are represented too , and which many other wine lists seldom give a mention to . There are not too many wine lists that give wines from Jura and Savoie a mention . More to the point I have never seen a wine list that contains so many different wines from Jura and Savoie ( both reds and whites ). Other regions , that you often do not see represented on a wine list , include the likes of Corsica , Andalucía , the Canary Islands , New York , Washington ( but to name a few ). Very impressive .
• Obviously red and white wines feature , in large numbers , on the wine list ... but so do other wines . Rosé is represented , as are a significant number of sweet and fortified wines . Perhaps most importantly sparkling wines are also magnificently represented . Bar a couple from Spain , sparkling wines concentrate on some terrific bottles of champagne and a quality collection of English sparkling wine . It is nice to see that an English restaurant , of this calibre , has opted for such a quality collection of English sparkling wines ( think here of the likes of Gusbourne , Nyetimber , Hattingley Valley , Rathfinney ). The fact that they are on the list speaks volumes for the current quality of English sparkling wines .
• Included in the wine list you will find many of the world ’ s most iconic , sought after and famous wines . However , my discussions at Moor Hall revealed that they aren ’ t just there because of their iconic name , their status in the wine world or just to impress . They are there because they are the outstanding wines , from a particular vintage . They are not just purchased and stuck on the list just because of their name . So , we find on
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